Dan Petersen

 

Associate Criminal Defense Attorney

I am a criminal defense attorney at Tim Anderson Law dedicated to helping clients who are facing federal, state, or municipal criminal prosecution or who are under investigation by either the local police department, a county prosecutor’s office, or the federal government.

Our practice is devoted to clients who are facing the massive power of the federal government and the state in proceedings in which they may lose their liberty, their reputation, and their ability to earn a living.  We are criminal defense attorneys.   I have been taught and wholeheartedly believe that our singular focus on criminal cases has allowed us to accrue the knowledge and experience necessary to use our resources and skills to effectively represent those accused of very serious crimes.

Our business is case preparation.  Our business can be straight-forward, but is not easy.  Shows and movies depict dramatic and poignant courtroom scenes — lots of drama but little substance.  That is fiction. The reality of successfully trying and defending a criminal case is that the courtroom spectacle is only the tip of the iceberg.  What lies unseen beneath the surface is how we prepared, how we built that case with hours and hours of investigation, research, and analysis to get to the heart of the facts and circumstances of each particular case.  

Most cases don’t go to trial.  As I wrote earlier, case preparation is simple, but not easy.  We work very hard from the beginning of every case to ask the right questions, find the right answers, and develop the right strategy to best serve our clients, regardless of the odds we and our clients face.  We cannot guarantee a certain result, but we can guarantee tireless effort and preparation, and importantly, empathy for our clients.

I have traveled the very difficult road of becoming an able advocate for my clients.  Tim has shared with me the lessons he has learned on his journey to becoming a known and respected criminal trial attorney.  On that journey we have learned that we have to be thorough, and we have to be adept at asking the right questions.

We know that cross-examination does not begin at trial.  It begins the first day we take a case, when we begin the detailed, and at times, painstaking process of investigating, and then challenging, the evidence that the federal government and state has marshaled against our client.  

Experience

 

Professional Admissions

State of New Jersey, 2013

State of New York, 2014

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

Education
Experience

Before joining Tim Anderson Law, I began my legal career in 2014 as one of the six inaugural members of the Rutgers Law Associates Fellowship Program.  It was the nation’s first post-law school program of its kind and was designed to train new lawyers through a concentrated skills training regimen.  This was an apprenticeship for lawyers that allowed me to get into the courtroom often and early in my legal career. I gained valuable courtroom experience by litigating civil, family, and criminal matters in New Jersey Superior and municipal courts.  

Before becoming a lawyer, I worked as an information technology liaison in global logistics.  I now use my technical background to help our firm effectively manage and analyze the thousands of documents and terabytes of data that accompany complex federal white-collar and cybercrime investigations and prosecutions.  Our ability to combine technical and legal competency allows Tim Anderson Law to effectively leverage our client’s resources in defending against serious federal and state investigations and prosecutions.

What is an Associate

What is an associate?  According to Forbes.com, an associate attorney is the unhappiest job in America.  Thankfully, I disagree with that survey. An associate is simply a lawyer who does not have an ownership interest in the firm.  Here at Tim Anderson Law, I handle my own cases and assist Tim with his more complex federal criminal matters.

Our Commitment

We treat every client’s case as the most important matter in the world.

Our experience and empathy give us the tools to effectively advocate for our clients, while helping them survive one of the most difficult times in their lives.